The Bootleg Beatles: Beatles Tribute Band

The Bootleg Beatles are a Beatles tribute band. Since forming in March 1980, the group has performed more than 4,000 times. Andre Barreau, Neil Harrison and David Catlin-Birch, who had appeared together in the London cast of Beatlemania, started the band after that West End musical closed.

They bought Epiphone and Gretsch guitars, two Vox amplifiers, four black polo-necks and a wig. Their debut show took place at a small student gathering in Tiverton, Devon, England. After further low-profile dates, the group undertook a 60-date tour of the Soviet Union, with later tours in Israel in 1982 and 1986, the Far East and India.

In February 1984 they were invited to the United States to mark 20 years since The Beatles' first US tour. In 1990 they booked 10 shows in cities the Beatles had played on their final UK tour in 1965, and a second tour the next year drew a larger audience. A Southampton gig brought them to the attention of Oasis, and they went on to support Oasis at Earls Court and Knebworth, which brought a contemporary audience and appearances on the European festival circuit.

In 2009 they hoped to mark the 40th anniversary by recreating that performance, but health and safety concerns prevented it. In 2002 they played at Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee Party at Buckingham Palace. In 2010 they made their first headline appearance on the Acoustic Stage at Glastonbury Festival, and they also appeared on BBC television programmes including The One & Only, The One Show and I'm in a Rock'n'Roll Band, as well as on the Chris Evans Breakfast Show.

Founder member Neil Harrison left in 2011 and was replaced by Adam Hastings. In September 2012 it was announced that longtime member David Catlin-Birch was leaving, and Steve White replaced him. In 2017 Nigel Osborne of Edinburgh University was commissioned by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra to arrange Sgt.

Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band for concerts with the Bootleg Beatles, who played to capacity crowds at the Royal Albert Hall and Echo Arena Liverpool. Their third Acoustic Stage appearance at Glastonbury came in 2023, and in 2024 they performed at the Isle of Wight Festival before returning to Glastonbury to play the Acoustic Stage at Glastonbury 2024. The band first met the Beatles in 1996 at David Gilmour's 50th birthday party.

Gilmour booked both the Bootleg Beatles and the Australian Pink Floyd Show as he had "always wanted to have the Beatles support Pink Floyd". George Harrison was in the audience and quipped "you probably know the chords better than I do" and "Where's the Bootleg Brian Epstein?

'Cos he's got all the money! " The second meeting was at the Party at the Palace for the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2002, where McCartney headlined.